(September 6, 2021 – York, Pa.): Nellie Rodriguez parked a three-run home run to highlight a four-run eighth, but the York Revolution could not find the equalizer in a 6-5 loss to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on Monday evening in front of 2,518 fans at PeoplesBank Park. The Revs settle for a four-game split with the Crabs after dropping the final two games, and will head to Lancaster to open a three-game series with the Barnstormers on Tuesday night.
After both teams were held scoreless through the first three frames, the Blue Crabs broke the stalemate. With one out in the fourth, Alex Crosby crushed one over the wall in right center for a 1-0 lead.
York answered in the fifth with a run as Welington Dotel reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error from Southern Maryland second baseman Rubi Silva. Osmy Gregorio laid down a sacrifice bunt on the third base side, pushing Dotel to third. For the 1-1 tie, Lenin Rodriguez lined a ball to right deep enough for Dotel to tag up and slide home safely on the sacrifice fly.
The Blue Crabs slugged a second tiebreaking home run in the sixth as Dario Pizzano smashed a leadoff shot to left center for a 2-1 lead. Joe DeLuca reached on a base hit to right and for a second run, Michael Baca singled to center and moved to third after an errant throw to second sailed into centerfield. With two outs, Silva delivered the final run-scoring knock on another single to center for a 4-1 margin.
Two more Blue Crab runs crossed in the eighth. With one out, Baca ripped his second hit of the night, a single to left deflecting off the glove of Carlos Franco at third. Kent Blackstone then reached on a Revs fielding error. For a 5-1 lead, Silva drove in his second run on a broken bat, bloop single to right center. Zach Collier was hit by a pitch and Jovan Rosa walked to load the bases. A second hit by pitch, striking Crosby, brought in another run for the 6-1 advantage.
The Revs bats woke up in their eighth inning. Darian Sandford worked a leadoff walk, moved to second on a base hit to left center from James Harris, and stole third base. Jack Kenley walked to the load the bases with no outs. After a strike out for the first out, a wild pitch from Blue Crabs reliever Carlos Diaz let Sandford race home for the first run of the frame. With two runners in scoring position following the wild pitch, Nellie Rodriguez mashed a three-run home run over the right centerfield wall to bring York within a run, 6-5.
In the bottom of the ninth, York got the tying run on base with one out as Sandford reached on the second Blue Crabs error of the night when Blackstone muffed a ground ball at second. Sandford stole second, tying Wilson Valdez (2014) for the Revs single-season record with his 55th bag, but the Revs were held in check as Mat Latos completed a four-out save.
Blue Crabs starter Blake Bivens (3-3) was excellent in the win, holding York to just one unearned run on three hits over seven innings. It marked the third time in his last six starts that he held the opponent without an earned run. York’s offense entered the night batting .326 and scoring 8.4 runs per game over the previous seven contests.
Tuesday begins a six-day, seven-game road swing for the Revs with the first of a three-game set in Lancaster. Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and the WOYK YouTube channel beginning at 6:10 p.m. with Darrell Henry and Ray Jensen on the call.
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